A Change of Heart
by CaptainAmeliaDelbertDopplerFan
Summary: lightning/sally fluff enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Lightning's POV

Before Lightning McQueen had gotten lost in Radiator Springs, he had an almost perfect strategy on how to deal with women. Every woman he met was always begging him for an autograph…or something outrageous like…a piece of hot rubber from his tire. Lightning just smiled and winked at them which made them go crazy. Then he would speed away to find something better to do. In his opinion, he never had to go home to a whiny girlfriend who begged for his attention or some snot-nosed kid that begged him to play catch with him or play dollies with her. He felt as if his life was perfect and he wouldn't change it for the world. He loved flirting with girls and watching them reach for him trying to just touch his frame. He always smirked at the way they sighed dreamily and swooned over him. Yep…he was happily single. Or so he thought.

When he was alone, he would sink on his tires and sigh. A part of him, very small, wished he had someone to hold and snuggle with at night…the trailer got lonely sometimes. Although he appreciated Mack, he couldn't tell him secrets or…go on dates with him. I mean, he could….but that would be weird. O.o …. Often, while he was thinking, he would think of his parents. They had left him when he was young…but he was told that they loved him enough to know that they couldn't care for him properly. He heard that his father loved his mother very much. They were inseparable. They were always together, laughing, flirting, and just enjoying being alone with each other. Now, Lightning wanted that too. But he would never admit it.

But after he had gotten lost, all that changed. Now, he didn't long for a companion…he longed to be near his. Well…she wasn't his girlfriend exactly…he was just in love with her. He didn't know how he was still breathing without her. When he was just in her presence, he felt as if he was free. Free from the stress that racing brought sometimes…free from the constant badgering from Harv that he received about how he needed to stop slacking…free from…everything. So after he had said his "last goodbyes"…he nearly started crying. As soon as the door closed, he was trapped. Back in the world of racing. He stared at the door of the trailer blankly. He heard the all-too-familiar click of the lock and instantly felt his heart drop. She was gone…forever.

Now he was in his trailer waiting for the door to open/

"Hey Lightning! It's almost time!"

"huh? Oh…thanks Mack…"

Lightning sighed and stared into space. It was the most important race of his life…and he couldn't focus.

_**Hey! Im back! I LOVE cars and cars 2 so I fet like writing a story about it! Enjoy! R&R!**_


	2. Chapter 2: Sally's POV

It was a warm summer evening in Radiator Springs. Sally Carrera was sitting in the Cozy Cone office trying not to fall asleep. She had been having a very…very…hard day. She had Doc to deal with…about calling the press…customers…cleaning the cones...people coming in asking questions about Lightning…

Lightning.

That cocky red racecar who had sped into her life. She smiled softly. She remembered their long peaceful drive together, and how his smile seemed to light up her life…it was like…like she had finally found what she had been searching for…

You see, before Lightning ever came into her life, she had thought that all men were pigs…and all they wanted was a girl to show off. So every time a man would come to the Cozy Cone to check in, Sally would keep things simple. She would ask for their name, number, and tell them what cone they would be staying in. usually, the man would take this hint and leave her alone. But occasionally, one cocky male would start throwing lame pick-up lines at her. Like, "well…now you've got my number…but I don't have yours. that's not fair…now is it?" or "I heard on the news that it'll be cold tonight…how's about I come over to your cone and we can 'get warm'…" In response, Sally always either glared at them, or growled at them to leave her alone or leave the town. Then she would shoo them out. Sally knew she was missing something in her life….but she couldn't figure out what it was. It was Lightning.

Sally sighed and slumped on her tires. It wasn't fair. She hadn't asked for Lightning to crash into her life…it just happened. And now, she was sitting all alone in Radiator Springs wishing he was here with her…rubbing his frame against hers…the way he did before he was hurried away from her. Even though she had fallen for him…that wasn't the only reason why she missed him so much…it was also because he had taken with him….something that she probably shouldn't have given him…

Her heart.

"Hey Ms. Sally...are u ok?"

Sally looked up and smiles at Mater.

"oh hello Mater…yes im fine…"

Mater drove up next to her.

"you miss him dontcha…"

Sally nodded sadly.

"how could I not…? He means…more to me than I could ever imagine…"

Mater smiled and patted her tire.

"he'll be back…I promise. Lightnin'….boy I bet he caint wait till his race be over…so he can come back to see ya"

Sally stared at him.

"are u sure?"

Mater nodded.

"Miss Sally…he is in love witchu…u know dat…so don't be tryna make it seem like he aint."

Sally grinned.

"Thanks Mater…"

"you're welcome…welp, id better get back to Lizzie…shes needin help settin up her tv! Shes gonna watch Lightin's race today!"

Sally smiled.

"really? Wow! Ill come with…I think I need to watch the most important race of…my Stickers' life…"

Mater grinned and drove to Lizzie's. Sally smiles and followed. Although she never really liked racing…she was willing to watch this race…because she knew that he would want her to be right there cheering for him.

_**Slightly shorter! Sorry! Kinda ran out of ideas! Review and tell me what you think! Also give me more ideas if you got em! Thanx! C ya Boofy!**_


	3. Chapter 3: Connections

Lightning couldn't believe it. He had lost the biggest race in the world…and yet…he wasn't completely angry at himself. He had saved The King from suffering the same fate that Doc had, and had proved that he had a bigger heart than any other racer. He smiled as he drove back towards the pits. Everyone cheered and patted his tires as the left to clean up. Mater drove up to next to Lightning and bumped against his frame.

"holy shoot! That was amazin! Boy I bet Miss Sally sure is prouda u!"

Lightning stopped.

"hm? H-how do you know she saw it?"

Mater chuckled.

"I helped set up the TV at Lizzie's so she could watch you speed around dat circular tracky thang and win for her!"

Lightning sighed and stared at the asphalt.

"but I didn't win…she must be so disappointed…"

Mater grinned and dropped his headset on Lightning's head. Lightning blinked.

"huh? Mater why did u…"

"ssshh…listen!"

"Stickers?"

Lightning lit up.

"Sally! Wow its so good to hear from you!"

"Stickers! I saw you in your race…"

"oh… u did..?"

Lightning winced.

"Yeah! It was great! I loved how you helped that race car! Most of the other racers wouldn't have even glanced back! I'm so proud of you Stickers…we all are.."

He smiled.

"I'm gonna come back soon…if you want me to…"

"Of course I do Stickers! We have a party to throw for you!"

Lightning laughed.

"I'll see you later ok…Pinstripe?"

Lightning smirked as he heard a soft gasp on the other end.

"Stickers! I thought I told you never to talk about that!" she giggled.

Lightning smiled.

"I'll see you later Sal…"

Sally smiled softly into the phone.

"See ya soon Lightning…"

Lightning grinned and slipped the headset off. Mater drove up and smiled.

"See? I told ya she was proud!"

Lightning laughed.

"Let's go load the trailer…"

Yep. Lightning didn't know why he denied Dinoco, or why he hadn't just crossed the finish line and then went back to help The King. But one thing was sure….

"I can't wait to get back to Radiator Springs…"

_**Kinda decided to have a little fun with the dialog since there was barely any in chapters 1 and 2! Enjoy! Read and Review! C ya Boofy!**_


	4. Chapter 4: Let the 1s you love go

"Stickers?"

Sally Carrera drove around Radiator Springs looking for her boyfriend, Lightning McQueen, who was due back that morning. Everyone she had talked to had told her that they hadn't seen him all day, and then suddenly sped off. So Sally didn't exactly believe them. She sighed and drove into her office at the Cozy Cone.

"I guess he got held back at the race track or something…"

She sighed and cleared her windshield of hot, sad tears that were now rolling down her hood. She could barely contain her sadness. Eventually, she had cried herself to sleep right there at her desk.

"See? I told you she was in here…"

"Man she looks terrible…you don't think she slept here all night, do you?"

"I think she did… she was running around looking for you…then she disappeared. I didn't see her leave the office for a long time. Me and Flo went to bed around 12:00pm, we were up reorganizing the shop, and even after we turned in, she was still in the office with her lights on."

"Hey I think she's waking up…"

Sally slowly opened her eyes and winced at the bright sunlight. She looked up to see two very familiar figures.

"R-Ramone? L-Lightning?"

As Sally's eyes adjusted, she saw that it was indeed her boyfriend, and their spray-painting wizard of a friend. Ramone smiled and slipped out seeing that the couple needed some time alone. Lightning smiled and kissed Sally's cheek.

"You shouldn't have stayed up so late…that's not good for you and it's not like you to stay up and cry…"

Sally sniffled.

"I'm sorry Stickers… I was worried… you were supposed to be home yesterday and I… I was just scared…"

Lightning gently kissed her side.

"Sal it's ok… I'm here now… that's all that matters."

Sally smiled and kissed his cheek.

"I'm gonna go run through the wash ok?"

Lightning grinned.

"ok… I'll be over at Doc's… just checking up on him…"

"That would be good. He's gotten a little worse…I hope he'll be alright…"

"He will. This is Doc we're talking about..he's so stubborn I doubt that he'll ever die."

Sally smiled and drove off to the car wash as Lightning went the opposite direction.

"Doc? Doc where are you?"

"Hey kid I'm back here.."

Lightning drove to the back of Doc's cluttered garage to find his hero and mentor sitting in a corner looking pale and sickly.

"Hey there you are…you feelin better?"

Doc coughed violently and smiled weakly.

"A little better…but not all that great kid… but I'll live."

Lightning sighed.

"Doc…you should go to a hospital…just sitting in here isn't doing you any good…you haven't have much sunlight…or even light in general."

Doc groaned.

"None of us can afford a hospital bill…and besides, there's too much going on already…"

Lightning flicked on the little lamp near Doc's bed.

"You're going to die Doc. If we don't get you to the hospital I promise you that you aren't going to last very long…"

Doc sighed.

"alright…heh…Sally's been bugging me about going to the hospital too…you two are perfect for each other."

Lightning smiled.

"I'll go get Sally and see if we can get an ambulance over here…"

Doc smiled and nudged Lightning.

"you're a good kid Lightning…"

Lightning smiled.

"Thanx..."

Then Lightning sped off to go find his blue Porsche girlfriend.

**2 Days Later: **

"I'm sorry but we've tried everything…he's too weak…there's nothing left to do to help him."

"Look this can't be happening! He's not supposed to die!" Sally cried.

Lightning and Sally were in the hallway of the Carburator County Hospital with Doc Hudson's doctor. He had just let them know that Doc's engine was failing. It had caught on fire twice during surgery and they couldn't risk another surgery. Sally was in tears and Lightning was nudged against her trying to keep her calm.

"Baby… I think him dying… may not be such a bad thing."

"w-what?" Sally stared at Lightning as if he had a tire stuck to his hood.

"Look, Doc has been suffering for long enough…forcing him to stay here…alive…it's torture. We should just…let him go." Lightning whispered.

Sally sighed.

"I… I suppose you're right…"

Lightning nudged her side and she gave him a weak smile.

"Thanx Dr. Corvette…"

The doctor nodded and drove off as the couple drove into Doc's room. Sally's eyes teared up as she saw Doc's condition. He was sunk down on his tires, extremely pale, with cords everywhere. His hood sparked slightly and his paint was peeling. He groaned and opened his eyes weakly.

"Hey look…who's h-here…" he smiled weakly and coughed. "My s-star racer and his wonderful girlfriend…"

Sally smiled and kissed Doc's side. Lightning smiled and pulled up near Doc.

"Hey…how ya feeling?"

Doc groaned.

"Like scrap…"

Sally frowned and sighed.

"The doctor said you..."

"I'm gonna die, I already know Sally.."

Doc smiled a little.

"Sally…it's today. I'm leaving today…."

Sally's eyes watered.

"W-what? No! You can't!"

Lightning nudged Doc.

"You can't leave yet!"

Doc slowly started to close his eyes.

"Take care of her kid… she needs you…"

Lightning stared at him tearing up.

"No Doc please! I need you! We can't go on without you!"

Sally cried as her tire gripped Doc's.

"No! Don't go!"

Doc looked at Sally as his eyes closed. 

"Be a good girl…"

His head turned towards Lightning.

"Take care of the town…Son…"

"I will Dad…"

Then his engine stopped and everything was silent. For about 2 minutes.

"Doc! NO!"

Sally nudged and squeezed his tire crying like crazy. Lightning cried and nudged Sally away from Doc's leaking body.

**A/N: DEPRESSING! Man now I wanna cry, oh well R&R! C ya Boofy!**


	5. Chapter 5: Complications

It had been only a few hours since Doc's death, and Sally was having a nervous breakdown. She was driving in circles in the hospital parking lot, letting the hot tears roll down her hood. Lightning had been trying to calm her down at first, but he had to leave her to take care of the business of what to do with Doc's body. He eventually left the hospital and sighed. He saw Sally, and drove over to her.

"Sal…"

Sally kept driving.

"Sally? Baby are you ok?"

Sally stopped and Lightning backed up a little.

"Whoa."

Sally's eyes were bloodshot and her hood was shiny from the tears. Her paint was fading slightly and her wheels were getting flat from all the driving. She looked absolutely awful. Lightning nudged her.

"Sally…I… I know how upset you are…but please… speak to me.."

Sally looked at him and let a few words slip from her dry lips.

"I want to go home."

Lightning let out a sigh of relief and nudged her towards the hotel across the street.

"tomorrow baby…but you need some rest…we both do…the doctors are taking care of…t-the body…"

Sally sighed and stayed near Lightning as they went into the hotel. Once inside, they checked in and Lightning got Sally all comfortable, and situated himself next to her. She sniffled. Lightning sighed.

"I'm sorry Sally…But believe me Doc is in a better place and-"

Sally turned away from him. 

"Don't give me that 'better place' crap…he's gone. Nothing matters anymore… he was like a father to me…now I have nothing left…"

Lightning backed away from her.

"So… I mean nothing to you now, right?"

Sally stayed silent. Lightning growled softly.

"I knew there was something else wrong with you."

Sally sighed.

"Look Stickers I don't want to talk about this right now… I... I'm tired."

"Lately it seems like your always tired…"

"Stickers…"

"No Sally just…hear me out."

Sally looked at him.

"Alright…"

Lightning sighed and stared at the wall.

"Everytime I come back from a race…and I want to spend time with you…alone…you're always… 'too tired' or you're other excuse is 'I need some time alone' or something crazy like that."

Sally growled.

"Excuses? Well EXCUSE ME Mr. McQueen! I spend all day taking care of a motel and a museum! I am so sorry that I don't have time for you whenever you decide to come back to town and leave all your adoring fans!"

"Ha! I knew it! You're jealous! I never take you with me and you get worried and jealous! I can't believe I was so blind!"

"Jealous? Of who? You? No way! All alone, driving in circles, in front of a bunch of strangers?"

"At least my fans care about me!"

"Oh and you think I don't? You think I don't worry about you everytime you leave? You think I don't miss being near you and feeling your frame against mine? You think I don't miss hearing you call my name or see you smile? You think I don't miss hearing you laugh as you nail that turn on the dirt track? You think I don't miss the soft kisses you give me before I fall asleep? You think I don't miss all that? Stickers I love you more than I could ever say! But I just lost my father! And you expect me to be the exact same way that I was before he died? You may not have known your mother and father and neither have I, but Doc was the one who took me in! You don't understand! I had no one to fall on when I felt bad! Sure everyone in town is nice, but I couldn't always talk to them!"

Sally was in tears now, glaring at Lightning with such ferociousness, that if looks could kill, Lightning would have exploded by now. Lightning drove towards her.

"Sally…"

"Forget it Lightning McQueen. Go to bed. I don't want to talk about it."

Lightning watched the love of his life turn away and close her eyes, then he sighed.

"I'm sorry."

Then he turned off the light and sank on his tires, and fell asleep. And the two stayed that way, far apart from each other…all night long.

**Sally's Dream:**

"**I hate you!"**

"**I hate you more!"**

**Lightning backed away from Sally as they screamed at each other. Sally could feel the pain from the fire that Lightning had set beneath her undercarriage and groaned.**

"**Burn Sally! Burn! Feel the pain that I felt when you yelled at me last night! DIE! JOIN YOUR FATHER SINCE HE'S THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS TO YOU!"**

"**I DON'T CARE! KILL ME! LET ME DIE! AT LEAST I'LL BE FAR AWAY FROM YOU LIGHTNING MCQUEEN!"**

**Lightning then pushed a grenade underneath her.**

"**There you go sweetheart…enjoy…"**

**A fizzle…A pop…and then Sally's entire body blew up. Pieces flew everywhere and oil splattered all over Lightning's body. He laughed and drove over her remains.**

"**who's more important now Sally Carrera? BWA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**

"AAAHHH!" Sally woke up screaming and her engine revving like crazy.

"Oh my gosh…it was just a dream…Lightning?"

Sally looked all around in the darkness and flicked on the light.

"Lightning? Stickers?"

Sally drove up and down the hall outside the room, then went down to the front desk.

"Excuse me ma'am?"

A bright yellow Ford Focus turned and faced Sally.

"Yes?"

"Hi. Have you seen a red racecar with flames on the sides?"

"Oh you mean that sexy hotrod that came flyin through here an hour ago?"

Sally's face burned.

"You mean my boyfriend?"

The Focus smirked.

"Yeah I saw him. He left…and told me to tell you to go back to town. He said that he won't be home for a while, and that he needed to clear his head. He also said not to tell anyone about the death until he got back."

Sally felt tears in her eyes.

"Did he say where he was going?"

"He went to the docks. But I personally think you should head home like he said for you to do."

Sally growled.

"I'm going after him. I can't risk losing him if anything happens. Contact Radiator Springs. Let them know that we will be home soon and not to worry."

Then Sally went after Lightning. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she needed him, and he needed her.

**HI! I felt like they needed to have a little argument, especially after the death of Doc. So…yeah R&R and if you have any ideas fee free to tell me! C ya Boofy!**


	6. Chapter 6: Looking Back

Lightning drove until his tires ached, but he didn't stop. His races never lasted longer than an hour or so, but he had been driving for hours. He watched the sun rise, bathing the few buildings that existed this far away from the city in warm reds and oranges.

Once he reached the docks, he slunk down on his tires, ignoring the pain. He stared out over the water, a million things on his mind. Doc's death and everything that went along with it, Sally, their argument…He felt tears in his eyes.

The last thing he wanted to do was end up driving Sally away because of his stubbornness. He knew Sally wasn't jealous of his fans…He shouldn't have said those things. It wasn't fair for her. She had just lost her 'father figure', and he had turned everything around, making it worse. He loved Sally like he had never loved anyone before…He couldn't mess this up now. He had to apologize, for real this time. Just as he was about to turn around and speed back to the hotel, despite his burning and sizzling tires, he heard screeching tires.

"Sal?" he whispered, smiling as he saw her screech to a stop sideways. She looked at him, her eyes quickly filling with tears and her frame heaving as she struggled to breathe.

Lightning immediately went to her, rubbing his frame against hers.

"Sally, I am so sorry… I didn't mean anything I said to you, and I shouldn't have said it. I was angry and sad and scared over Doc and I didn't know how to show it. Please forgive me Sally, I love you so much and I can't live without you…I wish there was more I could say or do to convince you but I…Sally, I need you…_please…_" he managed to say, trying to get everything out before she changed her mind and left him.

Sally blinked for a moment, then smiled.

"I forgive you, Stickers. I love you too, and although what you said hurt me a lot… And I really mean a lot… I know you didn't really mean it. And I would never leave you, Lightning. You mean just as much, if not more, to me as I mean to you." She said semi-calmly, despite her now burning tires and her aching lungs.

Lightning grinned and nuzzled her softly, enjoying the sparks that their nuzzling created. He smiled as he felt the familiar, yet soft, vibration of her engine as she let out a sigh. It was just like when Lightning had convinced the inhabitants of Radiator Springs to fix their neon, and Sally had finally revealed how much she had fallen for him in the small nudge she gave him. He smiled as he remembered how nervous he had been when he first nudged her, and how he was afraid that she would reject him.

_**Well, this was an entirely new and uncomfortable feeling. Lightning was used to girls throwing themselves at him and begging him for just a wink in their general direction. He had never felt so awkward before in his life. His engine was working in hyperdrive and he felt as if he would collapse. Just idling near Sally was driving him nuts. She was only about a foot away, her smile making his mouth feel numb. He thought about saying something, anything, just to break the silence and finally tell her how he felt about her. But when he opened his mouth to speak, no words came out. She looked a bit concerned, but after about a second, she smiled again. That was when Lightning knew he needed to act…And fast. He couldn't speak, mainly because his mouth was so dry, so he knew he had to show her. When she tore her attention away from the dark road ahead of her, Lightning nudged her shyly. Sally's smile grew, and it was then that she knew that Lightning loved her. She didn't want to make him think that she didn't feel the same, so she nudged him back. She let her eyes close briefly, enjoying the feel and smell of Lightning. Soon, they were pressing their frames together, obviously trying to show the other how much they cared. She heard Flo's voice, sounding faded and distant. She managed to speak, but it sounded muffled. As she could focus on was Lightning, and the smile he was giving her. Out of the corner of his eye, Lightning saw headlights. He looked up, with a look on his face as if he could take on the world. Which he felt like he could. He had the girl of his dreams, finally, a group of friends that he cared about, a great town…Nothing could ruin that moment. **_

_**Except paparazzi. **_

"Stickers? Lightning?"

Lightning was shaken out of his memories when he heard Sally's voice.

"Huh? Oh…Sorry Sal. I was thinking."

"Obviously." Sally giggled.

Lightning chuckled softly, then noticed that Sally was sort of shifting her weight on her sore tires.

"We should head back to the hotel… Relax a little before we go back to town…" Lightning said softly, his mood dropping a bit as he thought about how he and Sally would break Doc's death to everyone. Sally was also thinking about it, and saw the sadness in her boyfriend's eyes. She nudged him lightly.

"Hey. We can do this…You're Lightning McQueen, remember?"

Lightning smiled a little.

"And you're Sally Carrera."

"Don't mess with me, Stickers." Sally warned playfully.

"You started it, Pinstripe." Lightning grinned, knowing how much Sally loathed that name.

Sally just rolled her eyes, and they slowly made their way back to the hotel, for a nap and some mental preparation. Lightning knew he would be able to stay a little strong…He was just worried about Sally. But Sally was worried about him. She knew how much Lightning had adored Doc Hudson, and she could only imagine how much pain he was feeling…Even though he would never show it.

**A/N: I felt like updating this story… Don't worry! All stories will be updated! Except for finished ones. C Ya Boofy! :D**


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